Across the US and Minnesota, bowed heads of thanks on Memorial Day

President Barack Obama led the nation in commemorating Memorial Day, declaring the United States has reached "a pivotal moment" in Afghanistan with the end of war approaching.

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Obama, who returned just hours earlier from a surprise visit with U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, paid tribute to those lost in battle there and elsewhere over history. He called them "patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice" for their country.

"Early this morning, I returned from Afghanistan," Obama told the audience of several thousand people. "Yesterday, I visited with some of our men and women serving there -- 7,000 miles from home. For more than 12 years, men and women like those I met with have borne the burden of our nation's security. Now, because of their profound sacrifice, because of the progress they have made, we're at a pivotal moment."

"Our troops are coming home. By the end of this year, our war in Afghanistan will finally come to end," the president said to applause. "And yesterday at Bagram, and here today at Arlington, we pay tribute to the nearly 2,200 American patriots who've made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. We will honor them, always."

There were dozens of Memorial Day events scheduled around the Twin Cities on Monday. Among them, the Fort Snelling National Cemetery service with guest speaker Jim Moffet of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. Guests included Gov. Mark Dayton and Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken.

The Veterans for Peace service at the Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the Capitol Building. The Honoring All Veterans Memorial in Richfield featuring the 34th Infantry Division "Red Bull" band and the addition of new veterans' names to a monument there. And some members of Memorial Rifle Squad at Fort Snelling National Cemetery attended Memorial Day ceremonies in Virginia as President Barack Obama's guests.

And in a sign of the times for some who fought for the nation, a group of U.S. Merchant Marines veterans from World War II meeting at an American Legion post in a Twin Cities suburb for a couple of decades has decided to disband following a farewell picnic next month. The gathering that once attracted dozens has dwindled to just a few. The average age of the former seamen is 88. And, with each passing year, there are fewer members of the Viking Chapter of the American Merchant Marine Veterans.

Cal Twining, of Inver Grove Heights, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press he'll miss swapping war stories with his fellow mariners. The 89-year-old veteran says most in the group went through the same thing -- some worse than others. Twining says the gatherings were a way to remember the past: The squad was the nation's first to be made up solely of volunteers. It has honored more than 65,000 soldiers in its 35 years.

VA scandal permeates ceremonies

The president made a fleeting reference to the widening scandal involving reports of poor performance by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is facing allegations of delayed treatments, and even deaths in Arizona.

"As we've been reminded in recent days -- we must do more to keep faith with our veterans and their families, and ensure they get the care and benefits and opportunities that they've earned and that they deserve," said the president.

"These Americans have done their duty," Obama said. "They ask nothing more than that our country does ours -- now and for decades to come," he added, drawing more applause.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, a retired Army general, was among those attending the ceremony. Lawmakers from both parties have pressed for policy changes and better management at the department.

At Fort Snelling, Klobuchar and Franken both said they'll wait for the results of an investigation before deciding whether Shinseki should step down.

"When our soldiers signed up for service, there wasn't a waiting line. And when they come home to the United States of America, there should never be a waiting line in this country," Klobuchar said.

Some Minnesota veterans have complained to her office about problems with their benefits, "But nothing like this, where we heard about a wait list that they didn't know they were on and we found out they were put on and then something else was reported officially. I mean, that's outrageous," she said.

Franken said he was appalled to hear allegations that hospitals covered up long wait times for veterans.

"It's outrageous and disgraceful if there's been a cover-up" of the problems at the VA, he said. "I think that we need to get to the bottom of this, but people should be held accountable," he said.

"When our veterans and our nation have our confidence in the VA system shaken, we must do everything we can to restore that trust, to make sure that our veterans feel confident they're getting the best care possible," Franken said.

A 2012 report from the Center for Investigative Reporting found that VA offices in Minnesota fared better than those in other states. However, the report found the shortest average wait time for a service member to get help on a disability claim was 100 days.

Bachmann visits Afghanistan

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., was part of a congressional delegation that arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday, marking Memorial Day, and meeting with troops and military leaders to talk about the situation as the U.S. winds down its miliary involvement in the country.

The lawmakers were in Afghanistan at the same time as a surprise trip to visit troops by President Barack Obama.

"Every year on Memorial Day, soldiers, veterans, their families and friends, and thankful Americans gather across the nation to pay tribute to our brave sons and daughters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our great nation," Bachmann said in a statement released by her office. "I can think of no greater honor than spending this important day with those who are currently serving our country in harm's way. We can never thank our troops enough."

Tradition continues at Arlington

At Arlington, Obama was joined by first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, at the solemn ceremony across the Potomac River from White House on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The remembrance was for the war heroes of yesteryear as well as servicemen and women stationed around the world. It was carried out in idyllic weather under cloudless skies and a brilliant sunshine. The national observance was to be matched by parades, picnics and speeches across the country.

Obama appeared at the cemetery's amphitheater to speak after carrying out the traditional presidential wreath-laying, surrounded there by troops in formal dress and hearing the playing of Taps.

Preceding Obama to the microphone, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, himself a military veteran, noted this year's remembrance came with the approaching 70th anniversary of America's D-Day landing in Normandy, France. And Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "America's sons and daughters are still out there today on the frontiers of our common defense."

Preceding Obama to the microphone, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, himself a military veteran, noted this year's remembrance came with the approaching 70th anniversary of America's D-Day landing in Normandy, France. And Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "America's sons and daughters are still out there today on the frontiers of our common defense."

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With additional reporting by Tim Nelson and Peter Cox of MPR News.